The invention relates to an airplane having a plurality of decks, arranged one on top of the other, for passengers, freight and/or crew and at least one staircase connecting the decks.
It is known in airplanes to arrange luminaires in a line in the aisles, said luminaires being switched on in the event of emergency in order to show the passengers the way to the emergency exit. Although these systems are supplied by a separate emergency battery such that the markers operate even in the event of a failure of the general on-board electrical system, the emergency power supply may also be disrupted, with the result that the markers can no longer be switched on in the event of an emergency. It is also possible for sections of the markers to be incapable of being operated, which makes it necessary for them to be replaced before the airplane is started, which in turn results in late starts and delays.
It is known, in order to avoid these disadvantages, to attach fluorescent strips or rails using photoluminescent substances to the floor at the sides of the aisles, and these fluorescent strips or rails can, in the event of an emergency, point the passengers in the direction of the exit even when there is a failure of the electrical system of the airplane (EP 0 828 657 B1). The photoluminescent materials have the property of remaining lit themselves even for some time after they are no longer illuminated.
An airplane is known which has a plurality of decks, arranged one on top of the other, for passengers, freight and/or crew and at least one staircase, which connects the decks and is provided with photoluminescent rail- or strip-like markers which are arranged on both sides of the staircase steps at the lateral ends thereof (U.S. Pat. No. 5,7756,016).
The invention is based on the object of equipping an airplane of the type mentioned initially such that all of the passengers/crew members, i.e. even passengers and crew members who are located on different decks, can safely find the way to an emergency exit.